


Safe

by Red Charade (traciller)



Series: Flash Tumblr Ficlets [13]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Barry makes it better, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Len gets hurt, M/M, h/c, physical h/c
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2016-01-22
Packaged: 2018-05-15 10:29:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5782849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/traciller/pseuds/Red%20Charade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Len comes home injured and Barry helps him take care of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Badpunsandaparka (Seven_Oomen)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seven_Oomen/gifts).



> This was written in response to a tumblr prompt for "patching up a wound" from the Nonsexual Acts of Intimacy post.

Len sat in the chair backwards, front facing the back of the chair, as the speedster stood behind him. He hung his head a bit as he felt liquid fire pour over his wound, some kind of disinfectant. It was necessary, so he grit his teeth and took it without a sound.

“Sorry. I still have to do a little bit with the tweezers but after that it should be quick.” Barry said, apologetically, rubbing gently at his shoulder and away from the wound and along a whorl from one of his intricate tattoos.

“It’s fine, Scarlet. Do what you have to do.”

There was a time when Len wouldn’t have let Barry do this for him. He’d never liked to have people behind him, especially when he was wounded and in a vulnerable position. It had been a few years, though, and Len no longer felt apprehension when the speedster stepped up behind him, touched his back, tended his wounds where he couldn’t see.

And Red was always gentle, wasn’t he? Tender. Always made sure never to cause more pain than he had to, never to make the wound worse, never to give Len cause to worry about what in the hell he was doing back there.

Despite the pain, despite tweezers dipping into the wound and extracting debris that had gotten into it, he found himself relaxing. The adrenaline was wearing off and that made the pain worse, but he didn’t care. He felt….he felt Safe. He had spent so many years feeling unsafe all the time that it had become normal and he’d hardly recognized the feeling of “unsafe” for what it was. But, he definitely recognized the absence of it. The feeling of Safe was probably something that would always fill his chest in a…strange way. A good way, but strange all the same.

“One more time with the…you know…” Barry said and Len could hear the wince and he knew another round of liquid fire was coming.

It was quick and instead of gritting his teeth, he sighed with relief. It was almost done. And he was Safe.

Barry’s warm hands were on him again, one rubbing gently at his shoulder again while the other gently patted the wound.

“You sure you don’t want anything for pain? We’ve still got painkillers in the bathroom cabinet.” Barry commented as Len felt something pressed against his wound and taped in place. Gauze? Probably gauze. It felt like there might be something else on it, as well, but he wasn’t sure. Ointment of some kind, maybe?

“When you’re done.” Len answered, voice still quiet, head still bowed.

“Okay.” came the reply, gentle hands pressing something else against the gauze. Probably something to protect it.

“Done?” Len asked, lifting his head a bit and turning to look at Barry over his shoulder.

Barry met his eyes and smiled.

“Yeah, you’re done. I was right, you didn’t need stitches.”

Len saw him reach and felt the warm hands on his back again, gentle and away from the wound, rubbing little circles into the muscle. He faced forward again and bowed his head once more to enjoy the feeling of the careful backrub until finally Barry moved away and started to clean up the makeshift work station that was the nearby desk.

“I’ll get you those painkillers.” Barry said and disappeared, taking the mess with him.

After a few minutes passed, which Len figured signified the speedster throwing away the trash, putting away what could be reused, washing his hands, and then finding the pills, he was back and handing Len a couple of pills with a tall glass of water.

Len took the pills, drank the water down, and handed the glass back before standing up and putting his shirt back on without bothering to fasten the buttons, just allowing it to hang open. There was no need to worry about being presentable right now.

“You gonna tell me how you got that injury?” Barry asked, leaning in the doorway after returning from putting the glass in the sink.

“After a nap.” Len said, sighing and rubbing a hand over his face. It had been a long day and even longer evening.

“….Is anyone dead?” came the soft reply and Len looked up to see a worried expression on the speedster’s face.

“You know I don’t kill unless absolutely necessary, these days.” Len said with a frown. What kind of questioning was this?

“I know. But, I wouldn’t fault you for deciding this time was necessary. I wasn’t there to see, and…Len they got you while your back was turned…If you had to, then I get it.” Barry always felt like there was another way, but honestly…he’d killed before, too. And he couldn’t fault Len for defending his life.

“Nobody’s dead, Scarlet.” Len answered, after a moment. “But, I did take care of it.”

Barry nodded, standing away from the door and going over to hug him, careful of where he put his arms.

“Alright. Come on, bed’s made. It’s late enough, if you want to just sleep through the night instead of a nap…”

“We’ll see.” Len answered, hugging Barry back before letting go and heading to the bedroom for some much needed rest.


End file.
